How alternative proteins can combat climate change and enhance animal welfare

Global meat consumption is the highest it has ever been and the demand is only projected to increase. Among the top consumers are Canadians, with meat and other animal products taking up an average of 57% of our plates.  

This surge in meat consumption comes at a significant cost to our planet. Climate change, biodiversity loss and devastating pollution are all pressing issues facing our world today. Industrial animal agriculture (factory farming) is one of the top contributors to these crises – perpetuating deforestation, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, alongside significant animal welfare concerns.  

A shift towards alternative proteins can help ease the burden on our planet while also addressing animal welfare concerns.  

What are alternative proteins? 

“Alternative proteins” are foods made from plants, animal cells or through fermentation. 

• Plant-based protein: Any meaningful food source of protein derived from plants; this includes beans, tofu, soya, tempeh, seitan, nuts, seeds and pulses. 
• Novel plant-based foods: Products that are made to imitate traditional meat products with a similar appearance, taste, smell and texture. This includes animal-free substitutes for beef, pork and chicken, among others.   
• Cultivated meat protein: Animal protein grown in a lab from animal cells; also known as “cultured meat.” 
• Precision fermentation protein: Protein produced by fermenting ingredients with microbes in a controlled environment to create animal-free versions of traditional animal products like meat and dairy.  

While meat consumption remains high, particularly in industrialized markets, there has been a shift in consumer behaviour and interest towards alternative proteins. These products are becoming more and more popular due to health, sustainability and animal welfare concerns. In fact, the alternative protein market is growing at an explosive rate, with some estimates predicting a value of over $162 billion USD by 2030. 

Environmental benefits of alternative proteins  

Agriculture, particularly animal agriculture, is known to be a significant contributor to environmental degradation – forests are clear-cut to make way for fields to graze cattle or grow animal feed, waterways are polluted with manure, pesticides and antibiotics, and green-house gas emissions are released into our atmosphere at astonishing levels. Alternative proteins have the potential to reduce our impact on the environment simply by providing an alternative to traditional meat production. 

A report from the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) highlights how compared to conventionally produced animal proteins, like beef, pork or chicken, alternative proteins have significantly reduced environmental impacts. 

Among other environmental benefits, alternative proteins: 

• Require up to 97% less land to produce. 
  • Cultivated beef, for example, would require up to 99% less land than conventional beef! 
• Require 30-50% less energy to produce. 
  • If renewable energy is used in cultivated meat production, its carbon footprint could be up to 40 times smaller than conventional meat! 
• Emit far fewer greenhouse gases - up to 90% less! 

By transitioning even just 10% of our worldwide diet to alternative proteins, it is projected that we could prevent 176 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, reclaim 38 million hectares of land and conserve 8.6 billion cubic meters of water annually. 

Our report, Animal-sourced food consumption and Canada’s emissions targets, stresses the importance of shifting to a more plant-based diet to achieve Canada’s own 2030 emission reduction targets. By simply eating less meat, we can get back on track to achieving our climate goals. 

Alternative proteins have the potential to significantly reduce animal welfare issues 

Tens of billions of land animals are slaughtered yearly for meat, most of which are raised in industrialized factory farms. These facilities lead to significant suffering – from intensive confinement and painful procedures like tail docking to inhumane transport conditions and slaughter methods. 

A shift towards alternative protein sources would reduce or even eliminate the need for these harmful practices, saving millions of animals from suffering.  

That said, these products are not completely free of animal welfare challenges. 

While plant-based proteins and precision fermentation proteins do not require the use of animals at all, cultivated meat is genuine animal meat made from animal cells. This process involves taking a small biopsy from a living animal – no animals need to be slaughtered for the cells.  

Initially, the process of cultivated meat production involved slaughter to produce the growth medium, as this is an emerging field, but researchers are currently developing animal-free growth mediums to make this process truly a slaughter-free protein. 

Overall, cultivated meats still avoid the massive suffering of conventional animal products. While one animal produced through conventional farming methods can only feed a family of five for a year, meat cultivated from one animal has the capacity to feed thousands, thereby significantly reducing the number of animals required to feed the world. 

Figure: Illustrating the number of people a cow can feed for a year (Source: UNEP | What’s Cooking?). 

Where do we go from here? 

Reducing our consumption of animal products is one of the most powerful actions we can do for our planet. By simply swapping one meal a week for a meatless meal, you can reduce your carbon footprint, reduce precious freshwater and land use and reduce animal suffering. 

Learn more about the benefits of eating less meat and animal products. 

However, our individual efforts must be complemented by governmental action and support for alterative protein initiatives. The recent funding announcement by the Government of Canada to strengthen the pulse sector (dry peas, lentils, dry beans and chickpeas) and mitigate climate change highlights a crucial step in this direction. Additionally, Health Canada’s approval of a new alternative milk product made through the cultivation process signals a growing interest in innovative protein alternatives and opens the door to other animal-free products. Despite this progress, there’s much more that must be done, and we need to continue pressuring our changemakers to continue in this direction and prioritize protein alternatives.